Story By: JIM CLARKE / PETERBOROUGH SPEEDWAY – PETERBOROUGH, ONT – Uncover the best of everything the world of short track stock car racing has to offer. The 30th annual APC Autumn Colours Classic, presented by Toronto Motorama is ready to roll October 6th through 8th at Peterborough Speedway.
Follow the crowds to Central Ontario as the popular oval on Mount Pleasant Road plays host to close to a dozen of the sports finest racing divisions over the Thanksgiving Weekend. Track champions, touring series titleholders and up and coming stars will battle on Canada’s Toughest 3rd Mile for the prestige and bragging rights that come with being named an APC Autumn Colours Classic winner.
“Our team has been putting in some long hours to get things ready to roll for our season-ending weekend spectacular”, said track owner and promoter J.P. Josiasse. “The trackside camping area has been sold out for months and racers from across the province are expected to roll into the pit area to be ready to chase the checkered flag.”
A Thursday night pit party – presented by JDC Motorsports/KOD Property Maintenance and featuring live music by ‘Gunslinger’ – is the perfect way to kick-off an amazing 3-day racing weekend at the tight, tricky bullring that gets underway Friday, October 6th. Check out the first round of qualifying heats, plus preliminary action and a feature event to decide this year’s Ontario Modifieds Racing Series crown, along with the Mini Stock and Super Stock Non Winner’s races.
Grandstand gates open at 5:00, with the night’s first green flag at 6:00. There will be more live music to wrap-up the opening night of the 2023 APC Autumn Colours Classic with Charlotte and the Dirty Cowboys playing behind the main grandstand following the final checkered flag.
Bullring bullet points: Full APC Autumn Colours Classic information – including grandstand admission and pit pass pricing – can be found by selecting the ‘Autumn Colours’ tab at www.peterboroughspeedway.com. Advance sales are available by selecting the ‘buy tickets’ option on the track website. Fans can also purchase daily or weekend admission passes at the trackside ticket booth. Peterborough Speedway onsite ticket sales and concession stand purchases are cash only, with no debit, credit card options or ATM available.
Anyone entering the pit area during the APC Autumn Colours Classic will be required to present a completed 2023 pit admission waiver for insurance purposes. A quick-reference code is available on the track website and is also displayed at the pit gate entrance.
First-Time Starters Head to the 30th Annual APC Autumn Colours Classic
Members of the hometown motorsports community will often pause to reflect on career-defining moments from their time in the sport.
Peterborough Speedway’s 30th annual APC Autumn Colours Classic, presented by Toronto Motorama is coming-up fast and racers from across the province are getting ready to make their first start in the marquee event.
The Kingsway Auto Centre Junior Late Model class was home to some of the most exciting racing fans of Canada’s Toughest 3rd Mile Oval saw during the 2023 season. Avery Kirkpatrick – who, along with Lyla Simka was recently voted onto the upcoming ‘Ladies of the Oval’ calendar – won the rookie division title, while Landon Sellers finished tied for 3rd in the pro division standings. The duo – aged 8 and 11 respectively – will both be making their initial starts in the season-ending APC Autumn Colours Classic.
The 2023 season was a breakthrough schedule for Keaton Pipe. A former go-karter, the 13-year-old from Whitby, Ontario furthered his racing education running the JDC Motorsports No. 25 Canadian Legend Car Series ride. Moving to any new racing division can be a steep learning curve, but the youngster’s talents improved by participating in multiple pre-race practice sessions and working with a sim coach away from the track. Next on the agenda will be a start at the APC Autumn Colours Classic.
David Mathers, a 23-year-old rookie with the OSCAAR Modified Series has also made plans for a trek to the APC Autumn Colours Classic. With just a single Peterborough Speedway start from earlier this season on his resume, the St. Thomas, Ontario runner will unload his No. 48 machine with his sights set on a solid run…Newcastle, Ontario’s Tyler McMurter recently completed his first full season in the SwitchTire Mini Stock field, where he finished 8th in the final point standings. The 32-year-old will look to steer his No. 46 ride to a strong finish in his first APC Autumn Colours Classic start.
This year’s Outlaw Midget season championship will be decided in a Saturday feature event during the annual Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing. Even though he’s raced with the Midget Series for 6 years and scored his first feature win at Peterborough Speedway this summer, Mikey Homewood is looking forward to making his first career start in the track’s APC Autumn Colours Classic. The 38-year-old racer, from Brantford, Ontario currently holds-down 6th spot heading into the tour’s finale.
Young racers continue to make their mark in the sport, but that doesn’t mean some of the older drivers in the field have been forgotten. 60-year-old Mark Allan – a Flamboro Speedway Pure Stock/Bone Stock regular, where he sits just outside of the top 10 in points – will be heading to Central Ontario for his inaugural APC Autumn Colours Classic run.